As I've noted several times in the last year or so, we're in the middle of a silhouette shift from skinny jeans to wide-leg jeans, and for some of us, it's been a bit rocky. Honestly, I was happy to see skinny jeans go—I owned several pairs over the years but was never a huge fan; I have very bony ankles and if my jeans are too fitted there, they make me look awkwardly out of proportion. I like wide-leg trousers in general (shout out to the Madewell Harlow pant, one of my best buys of 2023), but because denim is such a thick fabric, any sort of slouchy or relaxed jean can be tricky to pull off. That hasn't stopped me from trying (check out this post at your own risk) and still probably won't in the future, but I recently came to the conclusion that straight-leg jeans just work so much better for my body type, so until I find a fit that I like even more, I'm just going to stick with them. I have three go-to cuts from three different brands; read on for my honest opinion on the best straight leg jeans out there.
